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Here in the UK vermiculite is readily available from most good builders merchants. We use the brand name ?Micafill? from Travis Perkins http://www.travisperkins.co.uk/ with good results. It might be best if you give your local branch a ring first as not all branches carry stock.

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You can also find Vermiculite at some of the industry safety stores (Interstate Safety) as it is used a lot in the Hazardous Materials Mitigation industry. It is both an absorbent for hydrocarbons and an adsorbent for some materials with a specific gravity of +1. It is very reasonable at these supplies stores.

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I found some at my local landscape supply. Manufacturer is Therm-o-Rock from Chandler AZ. I'm sure they could point you to a distributor. I hope I got the ratio right I used 4:1 for a 3" pad x 5ft dia which just turned out to be the whole bag.

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Do have a lot of clay in your soil? How did it work trying to lighten up your garden soil?
James

James, All our soil is predominately shale and clay, I just forgot all of that and did the square foot Gardening by Mel Barthalamew, his 2nd book, where you make your own soil and garden on top of the ground in 4' X 4' by 8" high boxes. The boxes set on top of black weed barrier from Soil and Conservation. My soil that I made is 1/3 vermiculite, 1/3 peat moss and 1/3 compos, that I made last fall. This is the most friable soil that I have ever had my hands in. It is fabulous. My garden is out doing every body elses in the neighborhood. And it could have a lot to do with my green house where I started my plants. It is a flowerhouse brand, that provides an abundance of circulation. If you are interested, I will tell you where I got my greenhouse. I am a first time gardener with purple ribbon results. Hot Shot

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Hi all,
down under in Aus, I got my vermiculite from an international company called Thermal Ceramics:www.thermalceramics.com
the Australian link is:www.thermalceramics.com/asia/home.asp
They manufacture a whole host of refactory materials, including everything you need EXCEPT they no longer make the firebricks.
If you can't source your materials through Forno Bravo, then you might find it available through them.

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You are in good shape. Vermiculite and perlite are different, and come from different processes, but their insulating and fire resistance properties are very similar. Vermiculite is volcanic popcorn, where it is quarried and heated until it pops. I am not sure of the production process for perlite, but if you can easily find it, go for it.
James

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This company doesn't sell direct, but they are very helpful and will provide you with your closest retailer (forget do-it-yourself and garden centers, they've never heard of the stuff). It comes in a 100 liter bag and costs 20 CHF (aprox 16 USD) - which considering what I've been paying for some of the other material doesn't seem like very much at all.

"Building a Brick oven is the most fun anyone can have by themselves." (Terry Pratchett... slightly amended)